BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.— Dexter Boykin pulled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Christian Lopez with 1:57 left in the game to give North Alabama the lead and Gerrell Green picked off a pass in the final minute to preserve the win as North Alabama rallied to down Gardner-Webb 34-30.
 
With the win, the Lions closed their first season with a full FCS schedule with a 4-7 record. Gardner-Webb is now 3-8 with one game remaining. Although UNA's games did not count in the Big South standings due to its transition, the Lions went 3-4 against Big South schools in 2019.
 
Gardner-Webb had come from behind to take a 30-27 lead with 6:07 left in the game but Lopez led his sixth game-winning fourth quarter drive in the last two seasons at UNA, covering 72 yards in 10 plays, to give the Lions the win. Boykin caught the game-winner in the right corner of the end zone and Grayson Easterling added the extra-point to give UNA a 34-30 advantage.
 
Gardner-Webb then moved the ball to into UNA territory before Gerrell Green picked off a Kalen Whitlow pass at the Lions' two-yard line with 41 seconds left to preserve the win.
 
Lopez finished the game 28-of-44 for a career-best 446 yards and four touchowns. Andre Little caught nine passes for 183 yards and Boykin had nine catches for 125 yards. It marked the first time the Lions have had two 100-yard receivers in a game since 2015.
 
UNA finished with 478 total yards.
 
Gardner-Webb had two long scoring drives in the first half to take a 14-0 lead.
 
Both drives ended with touchdown passes from Kalen Whitlow to Izaiah Gathings. The first was a one-yard pass for  TD with 6:37 left in the first quarter. Kurt Everett's PAT made it 7-0.
 
The second score came on another short pass, this time from the three-yard line with 13:05 left in the half. Everett's PAT made it 14-0.
 
North Alabama's offense had its first spark of the day on a 43-yard pass from Christian Lopez to Andre Little that moved the ball into Gardner-Webb territory. After a catch by Jakobi Byrd moved the ball to the four, the Lions' drive stalled and Joe Gurley missed on a 28-yard field goal attempt.
 
Just before the half, the Runnin' Bulldogs added a third score on a 28-yard pass from Whitlow to Devron Harper with 2:57 remaining. Everett's PAT went wide left but Gardner-Webb led 20-0.
 
North Alabama rallied for two scores before the half to cut the deficit to 20-14 at intermission.
 
The first score came on a 13-yard TD pass from Lopez to Dexter Boykin. Grayson Easterling's PAT made it 20-7 with 1:22 left in the half.
 
After a defensive stop by the UNA defense, Jakob Terry blocked a Gardner-Webb punt to give the Lions the ball at the GW 38-yard line. Jaxton Carson capped the drive with an eight-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds remaining in the second period and Easterling's kick made it 20-14.
 
Gardner-Webb added a field goal on its first drive of the third quarter as Everett hit from 36 yards out to make it 23-14 at 12:53 of the third quarter.
 
UNA made it 23-21 on a 61-yard pass from Lopez to Andre Little with 11:54 left in the third quarter. Easterling added the PAT.
 
After the Lions' defense stopped the Runnin' Bulldogs at the one on a fourth-and-goal call, UNA took the lead, driving to the Gardner-Webb 14 before Lopez hit Byrd with a TD pass. The try-for-two failed but UNA led 27-23 with 14:13 remaining in the game.
 
After a Gurley punt was partially blocked, Gardner-Webb drove 54 yards for a go-ahead score. Whitlow hit Jameson Turner with a five-yard pass to make it 29-27 with 6:02 left.  Everett's PAT made a three-point margin at 30-27.

Gerrell Green celebrates game-saving interception




Christian Lopez threw for a career-high 446 yards and four touchdowns in the win.